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Part 4

In 1977 I was sent back from Flag Land Base to Paris to start
a 5 year contract.

When I got back I was immediately informed that my post would
NOT be the one I had trained for but that I would hold an
entirely different one. I was put in charge of the
"Qualifications Division" which deals with the correction of
errors in "The Tech", staff training, Course room oversight,
training of interns, public arbitration and other matters. I
didn't want that job but there was no choice offered.

I worked 7 days a week, from 9a.m. to about midnight with 1
hour for lunch and one hour for dinner. I lived in the
proverbial french "garrett", a 10ft by 6ft attic with a sloping
roof under the eaves of a local apartment building (5th floor
with no elevator). My bed was a top bunk and my work space was
underneath. It was amazingly small. I actually painted in there
too, but if I wanted to go to the restroom I had to take away
the easel to get out of the door. A day off was more than rare.
I think I got 2 or 3 days off in a year, and often when I was
"off" at other times a staff member would come to get me (no
phone) as I was "needed". I had about 7 staff members in my
division, including both A.F. and S. Rosenberg, a couple that
would later set-up the Paris "Celebrity Centre" Scientology
organization.

So, there I was, an "executive" of a Scientology
organization. I did many more functions than other staff members
as I was "trained" and they weren't. The occasional revenues
from selling a painting (done in rare free moments or a lunch
break) supplemented my income, which averaged about 140ff a week
(about $35 in 1977-78, which would be about $60 now) helped me
to have rent and food, and I also often had to pay for paper and
office supplies for my work as none was forthcoming in the
weekly "financial planning". A lot of money was sent "up-lines"
every week to Scientology management and book publishing
organizations who sent us Hubbard books to sell. Whatever was
left was distributed by allocation to the departments, and what
was left over from that went to "pay" staff. Sometimes we got
almost nothing for a week's work. Management was, however,
always paid first as "top priority".

I worked hard, got the best results I could, and felt like I
was "helping Mankind" by my efforts. I was one of the most
highly trained staff members so I was always being asked to do
things, night and day. I did anything from correcting staff
auditors, keeping the library, giving tech references (there was
no tech dictionary or index at the time), doing session exams to
see if the session was ok or not, marriage counselling, dispute
handling and other things too. I even made the space nice, at my
expense, with a little miniature garden on my desk. I was
working more than full time for almost NO pay.

I also had to occasionally help out the Guardian's Office
with preparations for the criminal trial against L. Ron Hubbard
in France. However, in the end he was convicted, in absentia.
The name of the Scientology organization was changed to "Church
of the New Faith" (Eglise de La Nouvelle Foi) and we went on, as
before, applying Hubbard tech and trying to expand the
organization. In a time of crisis the "Guardian World-Wide" Jane
Kember came over as things had gone bad legally, and I found
myself being "grilled" by 3 people, including her to see if I
were a "security threat" or not. My being gay was considered a
risk factor for some reason, even though I was not actively
doing anything on that front. I was kept on post and told to
protect the "church" by abstinence at all times from any gay
encounters. Months later I spoke to a guy in the street who I
was attracted to (but nothing more happened with him). I told my
auditor (J.L. Canolle what happened in a confidential auditing
session. After that session my folder went to the Case
Supervisor. I was then asked to come to see my auditor again. I
sat down, he closed the door and told me we had a special
interview, which was not confidential, and that I must tell him,
all over again, what happened with my 10 second "almost gay but
non-existent" encounter in a Paris street, but that this time it
was needed for "security purposes". I was furious as that was a
violation of my confidentiality, but like a good and loyal staff
member I related the incident again. The folder went back to the
Case supervisor (J.M. Wargniez).

The next morning I was hauled into the "Ethics Office" and
was handed a publication which said that I was "of bad moral
character" (gay, and at risk of getting "gayer") and that my
certificates were all suspended forthwith. I was more than
merely upset of angry. I simply ceased to cooperate. I
understood that without any certificates in force I could no
longer operate an "E-meter" to do my job (an e-meter is a
Scientology-Dianetics electronic device that (possibly) measures
changes in electrical resistance in the human body, but it is
also affected by movements of the body, mental attitude and
sweat on the hands that hold the electrodes). So I ceased to do
my job due to the sanctions against me. I decided to leave staff
shortly thereafter as I was not getting anywhere on my supposed
"Bridge To Total Freedom" and was clearly not "Clear" yet.

When I left (1978)I was given a bill for somewhere about
$12,000.00 for the "Flag training" I had had while in Florida.
It is known as a "freeloader" bill. If you fail to complete your
staff contract you were, by Hubbard policy, liable for all
courses you got "free" while on staff. Until it was paid in full
I could not contact any of my Scientology friends. I was annoyed
at the bill, specially seeing the enormous job I had done for a
few dollars/francs. I was, however, utterly RELIEVED to no
longer be a staff member, and I remember sighing with relief for
2 or 3 days, quite consciously. I took up my painting again and
doubled my space by moving into a second attic next door to mine
to use as a studio. It was the stereotype 10ft x 8ft artist's
studio with the tiny window with a slanting roof overlooking the
rooftops of Paris' left bank. I was free of staff workload but
had to pay the bill to the "church".

I painted, re-invested my money in more materials, made a
slide-show as a promotional event attraction and worked very
very hard. I travelled a lot and sold whatever I could. After a
few months I paid off the bill to Scientology and set about
"going Clear". I bought auditing at the Paris Org, painted, sold
paintings, paid Scientology as a repetitive process through the
rest of 1978 and 1979. I finally got to "Clear" in 1979 but not
without huge effort and a lot of money.

One horrible chapter of this was the launching of the
"Purification Rundown". Hubbard said that if we wanted to live
through the impending World War III, with its radiation and
nuclear holocaust we must eliminate radiation from the cells of
our bodies by taking large amounts of vitamins, niacin and oil
while spending 5hrs a day in a dry sauna. Vitamins were
prescribed by a church official (not a doctor) Albert Benhraim.
I had to take 10 grams!(40 x 250mg of vitamin B1 a day, 3 to
about 10 grams! of Niacin, vast amounts of multi-B vitamins,
vitamins C, D, E and a half cup of cold cooking oil (yuk), as
well as a quantity of "cal-mag with vinegar", made by mixing
calcium carbonate with some magnesium and vinegar in boiling
water and drinking it (ugh) when it cooled down. I had to do
this for 3 weeks, thought the doses of B1 were less after 3 or 4
days, and I had a horrible time. The 5hrs of sauna per day were
bad enough but the intake of vitamin doses was sickening. I
threw up on several occasions, and was even paralyzed for hours
in the sauna near the end. It was truly awful but it felt better
when I was "done". I felt great when I was off the "rundown" at
the end. It had indeed "run me down". My skin was clean and I no
longer had to eat nauseous food and vitamins. I was ready to
"survive World War III.

I was not disappointed that WW III never occurred but I was
when the Hubbard reference to it was quietly removed form the
Purification Rundown. Hubbard could NOT have been wrong,
according to my brainwashed state. He was the
creative-originating "God" of PERFECT Tech, the selfless
tireless researcher for the good of all, the new Savior of
Mankind, the only real hope for mankind, the flawless genius,
the charismatic benefactor of millions, the nuclear
scientist-engineer-war hero-family man, the authentic
integrity-idol of all Sea Org members, the ideal role model for
a new civilization and my hero.

WHAT I SAW LATER, WHAT I LEARNED:

(NOTE: I LATER FOUND (1997 ONWARDS) FROM
INTERNET AND BOOK DATA VERIFIED BY PUBLIC RECORDS THAT, FOR ME
AND FOR MANY, ALL OF THE ABOVE ABOUT "RON" WAS FAKE OR INVENTED
"FACTS", FALSE "PUBLIC RELATIONS AND BLATANT LIES).

Maybe someone can post the urls for the web pages summarizing
all the fake "Ron" biographical materials please. It is shocking
but fascinating to read the differences between what was claimed
about L. Ron Hubbard and the realities that differed from that
so widely.

1. The Purification Rundown, still being delivered today,
still uses long hours of sauna, vitamin doses and oil, cal-mag
etc. Many have had serious negative consequences. I was lucky to
have even survived the doses I was given.

2. Org money went to management and to Hubbard book payments
as a priority and staff is no picnic as it only receives the
crumbs left after all organizational needs are somewhat met.

3. Being gay, even when only in thought, is incompatible with
being on staff, and also with being a Scientologist at all.
Hubbard said people who are gay, along with others he hated, are
dangerous to society; yet he took my dollars over and over, and
over again. So did his bigoted minions.